Julian Alvarez has never hidden his ambitions. The decision to leave Manchester City in 2024, just two seasons after winning both the Premier League and the Champions League, shows that the Argentine striker has always longed to become the center of a project instead of continuing to live in the shadow of Erling Haaland.
Atletico Madrid quickly spent 82 million pounds to bring Alvarez to Metropolitano stadium. On his debut day, the 2022 World Cup champion affirmed that he needed a new challenge and believed that coach Diego Simeone's team would help maximize his ability. Alvarez set a goal to win the title and become an important factor for Atletico.
However, reality is not as expected. Atletico is still empty-handed after two seasons, while Alvarez's form has also declined significantly. After his first season scoring 17 goals in La Liga, he only scored 8 times in the most recent season. Although still one of Atletico's most important players, the 26-year-old striker has never really played in a system that fully promotes his strengths.
Therefore, Alvarez is said to have expressed his desire to leave Atletico to find a more suitable environment. According to many sources, Barcelona is the destination he prioritizes, in the context that the Camp Nou team also considers the Argentine international a top transfer target.
Barcelona's leadership has publicly pursued Alvarez with an offer worth about 100 million Euros. President Joan Laporta has repeatedly affirmed that the team has enough financial capacity to carry out the deal and revealed that Alvarez really wants to wear the Barcelona shirt. However, Atletico immediately refused, and declared that they would only consider negotiating if they received enough 150 million Euros.
Not stopping there, the relationship between the two clubs became even more tense when Atletico claimed that Barcelona had approached the player when the contract was still valid. The Madrid team even sent a complaint to FIFA and the Spanish Football Federation, accusing Barcelona of violating transfer regulations.
Coach Diego Simeone has also repeatedly emphasized that Alvarez is still the center of Atletico's long-term plan. According to the Argentine strategist, the team is built around Alvarez and has no intention of letting this striker leave.
However, keeping a player who is no longer wholeheartedly involved has never been an ideal solution. Atletico Madrid understands that if Alvarez continues to want to leave, they will have to consider selling him to avoid affecting the atmosphere in the dressing room. However, the team's priority is to transfer Alvarez abroad instead of strengthening their direct competitor in La Liga.
In that context, Arsenal emerged as a potential destination. Mikel Arteta's team has sufficient financial potential and Alvarez has also proven his ability to adapt to the Premier League after playing for Man City.
However, from a professional perspective, Arsenal does not necessarily have to rush into this competition. Although Alvarez can play well in many positions in attack, from center forward, attacking midfielder to winger, the Emirates team currently does not lack quality options. Viktor Gyokeres is still in Arteta's plan, while Arsenal's tactical system is not really suitable to maximize Alvarez's creative qualities.
In fact, Arsenal's playing style has many similarities with Atletico when both focus on organization, space control and taking advantage of set pieces. This means that Alvarez is at risk of continuing to take on many tactical tasks instead of being free to promote his mobility and creativity in the baseline area.
If spending a fee of more than 100 million Euros, The Gunners are likely to have to sacrifice other transfer targets. In the context that they still need to strengthen in the winger position after Leandro Trossard's departure, prioritizing a star like Vinicius Junior or a player capable of creating breakthroughs on the left flank is considered more reasonable.
Conversely, Barcelona seems to be a much more suitable environment for Alvarez. Under coach Hansi Flick, the Catalan team pursues a playing style that controls the ball, speed and creates more space for attacking players. This is exactly what Alvarez lacked in two seasons wearing the Atletico shirt.
